4.4 Pushmi-Pullyu: consultant specialists and rural GPs/generalists
Tracks
Crown Ballroom 3C
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 |
| 1:10 PM - 1:40 PM |
| Crown Ballroom 3C |
Details
Format: Panel discussion (60-minute)
Speaker
Dr Sue Velovski
Northern Rivers Surgical Group
Pushmi-Pullyu: consultant specialists and rural GPs/generalists
1:10 PM - 2:15 PMAbstract Overview
Consultant specialists and rural GPs/generalists are central to the whole care team for patients but let’s face it – there’s sometimes a bit of tension and pulling and pushing in different directions. There’s a long list of reasons for this including: historical attitudes; metrocentric assumptions about how things work; turf protection; old and new government policies that support fragmented and silo-ed approaches; and administrative red tape, but where there’s a will there’s a way.
This Q&A panel session organised by RDAA’s Rural Specialist Group, will explore why and how collaborative/hybrid health care models can and do work for rural and remote practice. It will identify challenges and barriers to establishing and maintaining these models of care and consider the innovative solutions that are out there.
This Q&A panel session organised by RDAA’s Rural Specialist Group, will explore why and how collaborative/hybrid health care models can and do work for rural and remote practice. It will identify challenges and barriers to establishing and maintaining these models of care and consider the innovative solutions that are out there.
Biography
Dr Sue Velovski is a Specialist General Surgeon working in the Northern Rivers of NSW. A staunch advocate for all rural doctors in her community and across Australia, Sue’s special interest is in surgical oncology. She is passionate about providing cancer patients the appropriate care for the stage of their disease and is an outspoken advocate for honest, evidence-based decision making in surgery and good ongoing care for patients. She also maintains trauma skills - a great benefit in rural areas. Sue is actively involved in surgery and surgical and non-technical skills education in Australia and overseas.
Sue is the current Chair of RDAA’s Rural Specialist Group (RSG), a committee member of RDANSW and the 2022 co-Rural Doctor of the Year. In 2023, she was awarded a NSW Rural Scholarship in Leadership by NSW Health and Future Women, and a Supporting Women’s Health Award by the Resilience Together Association.
Dr Sara Armitage
Geraldton
Co-presenter
Biography
Dr Sara Armitage is a rural obstetrician/gynaecologist based in Geraldton since 2011. Raised in North Queensland, she has always been drawn to the beauty and challenges of working in non-metropolitan health care. She has the pleasure of working with an amazing team of GP Obstetricians who provide woman-centred and continuous maternity care in both the public and private system. Sara received the WA Rural Specialist (non GP) award in 2024. In her spare time, she rides any type of bike in the Geraldton surroundings and assists her husband in a raising a son.
